Proverbs 3:16 (NIV84)
16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.
Long life is in her right hand. Long life. A long good life. Like Caleb. If you will remember, Caleb was one of the 12 spies sent out by Moses. He and Joshua were the only spies whose advice was to go take the land. The Bible doesn’t say much about Caleb, but we know he was a leader, an adventurer, and a man of faith. Then we learn something else about Caleb in Joshua 14 and 15. I encourage you to read those chapters.
Caleb was 85 years old. The life expectancy of this time wasn’t very good. So many died of starvation, disease and war. The life expectancy of that era is somewhere between 18 and 35. With that in mind, we can comprehend how magnificent it was that Caleb lived until he was 85 years old. Yet there is more. Caleb was 85, and he told Joshua that he was as strong as he was when he was 40 years old. Not only that, but he also said he was as vigorous in battle as he was when he was 40! Can you imagine? He asked Joshua for the hill country, which was harder to conquer. Living in the hill country were the descendants of Anak. Those people were giants. Remember Goliath? Yet Caleb, 85 years old, believe that he was able and God was able. There was a partnership.
In our day and age when many people are living into their 80’s, would you like to say, “I am as strong as I was when I was 40,” when you are 80? Would you like to be as vigorous in your activities as you were in your 40’s? Some of us in our 40’s were not so strong or vigorous, but you get what I am asking. Have we settled for a non-biblical view of aging? Have we stopped dreaming of all the things we want to do in our 60’s, 70’s and 80’s? Have we applied wisdom to get us there? You can’t stay up late, eat Pop-Tarts, and sit on your keister all day and expect to be vigorous in your 80’s. So what are you doing to activate God’s plan for you? How are you living your life with God’s wisdom as to partner with God’s design of your body? Do you believe in faith for His strength, His mighty working power to course through your body until you die? Don’t be fooled. God has a remarkable life for you. For all your life. Even your 80’s. Go after it. It’s not too late, and it’s not too early. It is the right time. You have what it takes.